Ninurta
Ninurta is one of Cabina’s larger tea plantations, with small villages managing areas within the plantation. It holds a special place in the hearts of many synths and imperials dissidents who have fled to Cabina, as it serves as one of the major exit points for those on Vigil’s Railroad on the planet. The plantation takes in those who seek refuge on Cabina, providing them the support they need to re-establish themselves and build a new life. New arrivals are distributed among the plantation’s many villages, where they are welcomed by the locals and brought into their communities. There they are given the support they need, food and shelter, medicine, and a family. Synths are distributed among the various villages, so that they can integrate into society and that multiple synths don’t get trapped within their feedback loops due to their program. The plantation helps new arrivals to re-establish themselves and build a new life. For those that are content to spend their days in the plantation and picking tea leaves, they are welcome to do so. And many do so. But there comes a time where many people, synth and human alike, are ready to move on from the plantation. And when that happens the plantations of the foundation help them on their journey. Ninurta may be the end of Vigil’s Railway on Cabina, but for many is it another stop on the path of life. Geography Physical Geography Located in the Cabina Frontier, the plantation is situated on the hills between several flattened mountain ranges, with the main town is built around the confluence of the three main rivers. Where once stood the peaks and ridges of the mountains, are now large hollow craters known as the Eagle’s Perch. These craters have filled with water, becoming mountainous lakes, flowing down into streams and eventually the major rivers. Due the orbital bombardments which destroyed the mountains and created the craters, these lakes are highly poisonous. The plantations and their associated settlements are situated on the top of the hills, away from the poisoned waters of the streams and rivers. This not only protects the crops from the poisoned waters, but it also ensures that the crops are positioned to receive direct sunlight. Flora While tea is the main crop grown in the plantation, the residents also grow their own fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices which they used off. Such vegetation is grown at the top of the settlement, allowing easy access for the residents. Fruit trees are integrated into larger windbreaks, which protect the crops from the harsh weather, particularly dust storms. Trees also serve to divide the plantation into different plots, with each plot being harvested during a different flush of tea. The trees also mark the boundary on the healthy biosphere area around each settlement, with the surrounding area being affected by toxic water and poor ecological conditions. Biosphere Reclamation Project The plantation is part of a larger biosphere reclamation project. The central town serves as the main reclamation area, slowly expanding over time. Each individual settlement of the plantation is also established as an individual node in the reclamation and expansion of the plantation. As each settlement expands, more and more of the surrounding land is reclaimed, and various nodes are connected to each other and the area surrounding the town. The reclamation project at the plantation is focused on the development of the biosphere through the cultivation of specific flora and fauna. These are integrated into the plantation as a whole. Architecture The dominant feature to the plantation’s skyline are a complex system of aqueducts, running from the various craters to the individual settlements and plantations. Integrated into the aqueducts are water processing capabilities, which remove all the toxins from the crater water before it arrives at the settlements, making it safe to be drunk and used on the plantations. While the aqueducts cannot process all the water flowing from the craters, they can process more than enough for each individual settlement and the plantation as a whole. Connecting every settlement in Ninurta are an array of subterranean tunnels and passageways. These are used to transport tea and supplies between settlements given the rough terrain of the foothills. The locals get travel through the tunnels using hydraulic lifts and electric railcars. The plantation is currently going through an expansion, with the construction of new settlements and the establishment of their associate infrastructure such as tunnels and aqueducts. This is in anticipation of an increase in new arrivals from across the sector on Cabina. Ninurta Town The main settlement of Ninurta, also named Ninurta, is positioned around the confluence of the rivers at the lower end of the foothills. The settlement connects the various underground tunnels of the plantation, allowing for the transportation of tea in exchange for other farming goods. The town has a number of production facilities, which are used to sort, roll, dry, and package the tea. From the town there are a number of cars, trucks, and shuttles to take people between other plantations and large settlements There are also a number of water processing facilities at the town, supplying clean water for the town and surrounding area, as well as purifying the rivers once they have converged. Villages and Homesteads While there is a single main settlement at the confluence of the three rivers, individual villages grow, cultivate, and harvest the tea from a single hill. In doing so, each village is able to support itself from the crop that it produces, and with it provide support for the plantation’s newest members. As the crop is harvested, it is taken to the bottom of the plantation, where it is counted and weighed, before being traded with Cabina Cups Tea Company for a number of different supplies. Each individual village and homestead in Ninurta is constructed around a large open-air spherical pavilion made from concrete. The pavilion is used as a communal kitchen, dining and leisure space. Connected to the pavilion are rooms for individuals, those in relationships, and houses, allowing people to have their own privacy but still be connected to the larger community. Homesteads have a single pavilion with connected rooms, while villages are made up of several pavilions all connected together. The structures are designed to survive the harsh weather of Cabina, with air tight shutters and an internal air system activating when dust storms threaten the plantation. Culture Cultural Identity Each settlement has developed a specific cultural lineage overtime. As new people stay at the settlement, they impart their own customs and teachings to the people of the settlement, but adopt those of the settlement as well. As such, each settlement develops a very clear and distinct cultural identity, often centred around the faith of its inhabitants, as each new arrival shares their own customs and practices. While each individual settlement uses the same basic design, each settlement is decorated by its inhabitants, adored with important cultural motifs and personal imagery. The interior of the settlements are decorated with large murals and tapestries. Similarly, the exterior of each settlement are painted in bright colours and adored with banners, reflecting the settlement’s cultural and religious identity. Each new inhabitant of a given settlement leaves their own mark, refugee and local alike. As such, the settlements become living embodiments of their own histories, telling the stories of their inhabitants and the settlement itself. Refugees in Ninurta With the large number of new arrivals, Ninurta has been structured to integrate new residents into the settlement as best as possible. Newly arrived refugees, be them human or synth, are distributed among the various villages and homesteads of the plantation. Each new arrival, be them human or synth, is paired with a local resident who is charged with helping them settle down and get a sense of peace and security. Special care is made with synths, so too many synths aren’t placed in close proximity due to the habit of negative feedback loops developing within synthetic exclusive households. Individual cells who smuggle refugees onto Cabina manage specific settlements. Given the decentralised nature of the cells, no single person is aware which settlements, if any, are home to refugees except for their own. Cells are often organised on the basis of faith, so newly arrived refugees are integrated into settlements on the basis of their faith, and are slowly introduced to a larger network of individuals and other settlements which follow the same sect as their own. Refugees are distributed within the valley based on the proximity to the main town of the plantation. There are few refugees in or near the town, with the few there being well integrated into the larger plantation community. The further away a settlement is from the main town, the more likely there will be refugees who inhabit it. Human and human passing synths are around the middle area of the plantation, as they are able to interact with the larger community when needed. Furthest away from the main town are settlements with a large number of synths, especially older synth models, given the difficulties of integrating them into the larger community and the potential danger such interactions possess. As they settle in, refugees are given medical support to help them deal with the physical and psychological effects of their time before arriving on Cabina. Doctors travel between the villages and homesteads to check in on the residents, both old and new alike. There are medical specialists who cater to the needs of the synthetic refugees, treating the new arrivals for both their physical ailments but also their mental ones. Synthetic mental health has a strong focus, due to the efforts of integrating synths into human society. The refugees are slowly immersed into their new lives, allowing them to help around the settlements and harvest tea. Religion in Ninurta As each given settlement is inhabited by members of a particular sect of the Repentant faith, the various homestead and villages develop both physical and social structures around their particular faith. Given the isolated nature of each settlement, most of the social connections which develop are between settlements of the same faith, from holding special congregations and visiting clergy and other parrish members. Some settlements develop into religious sites, with members of the clergy taking residence in a particular village or a specific festival always taking place at the same settlement. Given the highly religious nature of each settlement, many settlements have unique burial practices. There is a strong emphasis on the community and the environment, with people buried such that they continue to support their community and give back to nature itself. Some people elect to be used in seed burials, as part of the greater biosphere reclamation project. Others chose to be buried under their hill, with sections of a given hill being turned into a barrow, with the bodies fueling the growth of the plants above. Others again choose to be cremated, their ashes scattered over the crops and trees of their settlement. Category:Cabina Category:SERAPH Category:Cities Category:The Church of Humanity, Repentant